The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-12-27

For The Constitution.
Come, children, draw your chairs up close to
the fire and will tell you a tale of a Christ
Fnas that came long ago. 1t was just at the
close OF the darkest days of the great civil war
We were but three, Annie and Jane, that
was myself, and our dear, good mother. There
was another, but he was far away among the
snow-clad mountains, following the struggling
remnants of Stonewan Jackson's legions.
That was our father, whom
we children scarce remembered, he had been
away so long. But mother remembered him,
and she often told us how he looked, what
color was his hair, and how soft and sky blue
was his eyes, and what beautiful brown beard
he wore. She had never forgotten how he
marched away SO gaily, three long years be-
fore, promising to come back whenthe yam
KEGS should be driven far beyond the Potomac
river, when peace should reign and the south9
efn confederacy should stand queen regnant
among the American nations. She had kissed
him adieu with a tear in her eye, but
with throb of pride in her
girlish heart as she thought Of how he would
some day come back covered with laurels and
covered with glorious victory. She was young
then, much younger than at this time, for
every one Of those three sad years had placeda
decade of age on her fair, sad brow.
AT hrstwe got letters regularly. letters that
we could not understand when. our mother
read themto us, only by the workings Of, her
gallant charges Or dark reyerses. Then, on
~'every birthday Of our father, there was box
sent ito camp and such rare sport
as we had, dimpling biscuits with our
chubby fingers 50 that papa may see the imprint
of the Shand OF the darlings, which mamma
explained in the long loving letters that 1T took
her so long to write. Christmas it was the
same thing, until the last Christmas, when the
supply Of biscuits were not so bounteous, and
the socks were Of cotton instead of WOOL
We knew not how it came about. We were
too young to realize it, We could only tell
that the heaps of corn in thecrib We're not
near so high the second year as the first, and
we had plenty of room topiay at hide-and-seek
in the hooks and corners of the big building.
But there came day, and that had not
been very long ago, when man drove up to
the gate, in a big hurry, one morning, and i'll
short while all our pretty things were tied
up in bundles, or jan1ned in boxes and bas-
kets, and they would not even let us take our
playthings, and then mamma got into the wag-
on crying all the time, and we said good bye
to the trees and the rose bushes and ali the
Shings about the place, and the man lifted us
into the wagon and popped his whip and drove
away.
because the corn was just being stripped Of tie
fodder, and we laughed as we saw the men
throwing the big bundles on to stack where
q man was trampling them down, and all OF
them were Whooplng and hallolng and having
good time.
Mamma told us that the big man who drove
the wagon was our uncle and that he was go
ing to carry us to a new home, many miles
away.
Oh, that was gay old trip. The sun shone
hot at noon, but there were long shady places,
And sometimes cloud would cross the sun,
and we would watch till we saw the sunshine
coming, and then we would clap our hands
and say, 81 saw it first
Sometimes rain would come, and then we
would stop at some house till it was over. We
had never seen so many strange children IN all
our lives. One day two men passed US, and
we heard one say:
ERefugees, you reckon"'
"Umph, huinph,' answered the other, and
we asked mamma what refugees" We're and
she told us q long story which L have
forgotten. l only remember that she
said we were not quite refugees, but soon would
have been had not our good uncle come after
One night when we had camped by the road
side, mamma and Uncle William, as we were
taught to call him, were talking earnestly and
he said;
sWell, sister, shall not have much time to
see you settled. My furlough is out in three
days, and it will take us hard driving to get
home tomorrw night"
81 am sorry, William, for you ought to spend
all the little time you have, at home"
"The war won't last much longer" he re-
piled, 'and if get through safe don't think
will have to 90 off next year. 1t is strange
that you don't hear anything from joe"
Mamma covered her eyes With herhands, and
we could see that she was deeply affected.
"Uncle WILL who is Joe"" asked Annie,
who was more forward than |.
Chat is your papa, child" said he, smiling
"What is furlough ?' I asked timidly
''It is the time that we are at home from
the war, jamie; did your papa never have
1urlough?'
. "No, SIR" / answered.
'No, he has been gone all this long time and
has.never even hadsa furlough" added mamma,
looking up through her tears.
We started before day next morning, and
when the sun rose, we saw that We were in u
I'D no he MI IigEppipc aud 60ur.
woods, and all such trees, were nearly gone,
and we could see for long, long ways. The
trees were tail and all the limbs were on top,
and mamma said this was the pine woods
Well, we drove hard that day We ate a
little cold dinner at branch where the water
looked almost as red as coffee, and there was
the prettiest white sand we had ever seen.
While the horses were eating, We got out and
heaped up the sand, and scooped holes, and
had gay time.
When we arrived at our uncles home that
night, it was growing dark, and we were
frightened at the big dogs that came running
out, barking and jumping around and we
though they were going to eat us up.
1t is needless TO recount our experience
there. Our aunt was bis, fat
woman with smiling lis Ia, iafe that w" aS
cunning tremor in her voice that was so moth
erly and good that we all loved her. She
called our mamma elizabeth" and We could
not understand that, for we had always heard
MIRA Jordan by the neighbors
Well we were very hungry, and that corn
bread and beef were awful good, and we
ate Just as much as we wanted ard
aunt said, "Poor little things, they
, aire so hungry, and we haiut
got nothln' but this ere fur EN- to cat.' She
wiped her aeyes as she spoke, aud VIC Won
dered how such a smiling face could look sorry.
On the next day orr uncle carried us, and
all our things to house about half mile
from his home, and aunt went along and they
both helped mamma TO fix up. There were
only two rooms, and one OF them we had to
live in, and the other was our kitchen and
dining room.
And the funniest chimneys you ever sow.
They were made of sticks and clay, and looked
like they chad ribs" Annie said.
at is hard times. rgecious ones" said
mamma, "and our Christmas viii not be jolly
one this year"
She had got to looking poor and thin, Of late,
and ne could see that she was no. strong Ike